Feeder attachment for coin counting machines



March 22, 1932. DONNELLAN I 1,850,387

FEEDER ATTACHMENT FOR COIN COUNTING MACHINES Filed July 7, 1950 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Z MW A TTORNEY March 22, 1932. E P, DONNELLAN 1,850,387

FEEDER ATTACHMENT FOR COIN COUNTING MACHINES Filed July 7, 1950 2Sheets-Sheet 2 I 37 F :L? l 4:; 3g

T wl/ INVENTOR. lizz/ardzflonn 8270570,

A TTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 22, 1932 UNITED STATES EDWARD 1?..DON N ELLAN, OFBROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO STAN DARD-J' OHNSON PATENT OFFIFC'ECOMPANY, INC., OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK FEEDERATTACHMENT FOR Application filed July 7,

This invention relates, generally, to improvements in coin countingmachines and other machines to which it is desired to feed coins orother articles subject to the machine functions; and, the invention hasreference, more particularly, to a novel automatic means for deliveringsaid coins or other articles to the operative parts of the machine,during operation thereof- This invention has for its principal object toprovide a supply hopper or magazine of novel form having in cooperativerelation thereto a novel rotary conveyer means for transferring coins orother articles from the '15 hopper or magazine to the machine desired tomanipulate the same.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularlyenumerated, will be understood from the following detailed de scriptionof the same.

An illustrative embodiment of the novel feeder means made according tothe principles of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings,in which L Figure 1 is a top plan view of a coin counting machineprovided with the novel feeder means of this invention; Figure 2 is avertical section of the same, taken on line 22 in Figure 1; Figure 3 isa vertical section of the same, taken on line 3-3 in Figure 1, but drawnon an enlarged scale; and Figure 4: is a detail perspective view of therotary conveyer device which forms a part of said novel feeder means.

Similar character of reference are employed in the above describedviews,to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to said drawings, the reference character 5 indicates thecentrifugal rotatable delivery table which arranges the coins anddelivers the same in a moving train to the coin counting mechanism perso. This table 5 is bounded by the coin guiding wall 6, in connectionwith which is provided the usual coin escape passageway leading to thepropeller wheel 7, which forces the coins into operative engagement withthe star wheel 8 of the coin counting register 9. Said'table 5 50 ismounted with its upper surface flush with COIN COUNTING MACHINES 1930.Serial N0. 466,076.

the bed-plate 10 of the machine. The bedplate 10 is supported onsuitable standards Journaled beneath the bed-plate 10 of the machineis adrive shaft 12, which may be itself driven by any suitable means, eitherby hand or by power. A worm 13 on said shaft 12 meshes with aworm wheel1 lon the vertical spindle of said table 5, whereby the latter isoperatively rotated.

Connected with the bed-plate 10 by means of supporting brackets 15, soas to be off-set from a side thereof, and so as to be disposedpreferably in a vertical plane, is an annular housing 16. This housing16 is closed by a face wall 17 extending along the side or face thereofwhich lies toward the counting ma chine. Said face wall 17 is providedin its upper portion with an escape opening 18. Journaled in a centralbearing opening 19 provided in said face wall 17 is a rotatable spindle20 on which is fixed a conveyer wheel 21, which fits and rotates withinsaid annular housing 16. Said conveyer wheel 21 is provided with aplurality of circumferentially spaced pockets formed by radial arms 22.Said pockets are open from side to side of said conveyer wheel, and attheir innerends are bounded by inclined bottom portions 23, which slopefrom the outer face of the conveyer wheel to the inner face thereofwhich opposes the counting machine. Secured to the inner side of theannular housing 16, so as to partially cover the rear face of saidconveyer wheel is cover plate 24, which leaves the pocketsthereofrearwardly open, however, as the same are carried downwardly toward thelower portion of the annular housing during the rotation of the conveyerwheel. Secured to the annular housing 16 is a hopper or magazine 25,which is provided with a downwardly and inwardly sloping bottom 26extending toward the outer or rear face of the conveyer wheel.

Said conveyor wheel 21 is driven from the drive shaft 12 of the countingmachine by asuitable transmission means including a clutch means forstarting and stopping the rotation of said conveyer wheel at will.

" to saidbed plate 10, is a spindle 36, having 'Preferably saidtransmission means comprises the following'arrangement: V

Journaled in bearings 27, whicli are affixed tovthe under side of thebed-plate .of the counting machine, so as to depend I therefrom, is acounter shaft 28.. Fixed on said counter shaft 28 is a worm gear 29which meshes with and is driven by a worm 30 fixed on said drive shaft12., Fixed on said counter shaft 28 is amale clutch-member 31.Rotatableon the opposite end of said counter "shaft 28 ,is; a hollowshaftor sleeve- 1 32, and keyed to this latter isa shiftable femaleclutchmember 33 adaptedto be moved into and out of engagement with saidmale clutch-member'3lto couple or uncouple said hollow shaft or sleeve32 in driven relation to. said counterv shaft 28. Fixed on said hollowshaft or, sleeve 32 is abevelgear 34.

J ournaled in a bearing 35, which is secured fixed thereon'a bevel gear'37 to mesh with and be driven by said bevel gear 34. Fixed on the outerend of said spindle 36 is a pulley 38 over which runs a drive belt 39,which in turn runs over and drives a second pulley wheel 40 fixed ondle'20.- I s K Suitable means for operating the clutch mechanism isprovided, the same preferably the conveyer wheel spincomprising a slidebar 41, mounted to slide. through the bearings 27 parallel to and preferably above the counter shaft 28. Secured to said'slide bar 41 isashifter yoke 42, the arms 43 of which operatively engage in the annularchannel .44 provided in the body of said female clutch-member 33.A'compresa 'sion spring'45interposed between said shifter oke 42 and theforward bearing 27 yieldably olds said female clutch-member disengagedmm said. male clutch-member. Pivotally connected with the forward end ofsaid slide bar 41 is a draw link 46 which extends outwardly' andforwardlyto the front of the counting machine. Said draw link terminatesin a knob or hand grip 47 Provided in the bodyof said draw link 46,adjacent to itsouter end, is a notch 48, which, when the draw link istpulled forward to draw the slidebar and shi er yoke to clutchengaging'pd sition, may be hooked over a fixed stop bracket 49,to-thereby retain, the parts in clutch engaging position against thetensionof the spring 45. WVhen it is-desired to release the clutch, theoperator merely'swings up the draw link46 to disengage its notch 48 fromthe-.stop bracket 49, whereupon the spring 451willforce back theslide-bar and shifter yoke to clutch releasing position.

Pivotally connected to perforate ears 50 withywhi'ch the annular housing16 is provided, are the side arms 51' of a chute 52,

which is disposed to extend from the escape opening 18 inwardly over thedelivery table 5 ofvthe counting machine, when the same is lowered tooperative position. The free end V ofsaid chute 52 may be provided witha cover hood 53 to form a spout-like portion, which overhangsthedelivery table 5 of the counting machine, and which preventsmisdelivery of coins or other articles passed therethrough. The chutedevice, as thus mounted and arranged, may be upturned to an inoperativeposition giving, unobstructed access to the delivery table 5 and guidewall 6 of thecount' in machine, when such is desired.

n operation, a mass of coins to be counted are deposited in the interiorof the magazine or hopper 25, the sloping bottom wall of which causesthe coins to gravitate toward the rearwardly exposed portions of theconveyer wheel; Power is now ap lied to the drive shaft 12, whereby therotata le delivery table'5 is! caused to revolve. The clutch means 31-33being engaged by pulling out and locking the draw link 46, power islikewise transmitted to the conveyer wheel 21, which is caused to rotatein the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 3. Asthe' conveyer wheel21 revolves, its pockets aresuccessively carried past the rearwardlyopen 7 portion of the housing 16 where uncovered by the cover plate 24,so that communication' is established between the thus moving pocketsand the interior of the hopper or magazine, whereby coins will fall intothe said pockets. The coins thus engaged in the pockets of the/conveyerwheel will be carried upward by the rising pockets, beingretainedagainst escape from'the latter as the same are carried between the facewall .17 and cover veyer wheel are successively carried past the pointof coin pick-up and then the point of 7 coin discharge, it followsthatthe coinswill be continuously delivered to the feed table 5 of themachine approximately in about the same numbers as are fed away to thecounting mechanism-by the operation of the feed table 5. If, by anychance, however,the delivery of, coins to the feed table 5 by theconveyer wheel 21 should excessively ain ,u on the rate of dischargethereof by the feed ta lo, the operator may release theclutchemechanism' so as to temporarily stop the conveyanceof coins,until consumption thereof has reduced the quantity within the guide ring6 and upon the table 5, whereupon by a ain manipulating the clutch theoperationo the conveyer wheel may be resumed.

The advantages of the novel coin supplycape opening over said countingmachine ing means in connection with the counting machine will beobvious. It will be understood also that the feeder attachment is, perse, capable of use with other mechanisms to which it is desired tocontinuously supply small articles subjectto a desired manipulation oroperation.

I am aware that many changes could be made inthe abovedescribedmechanism as well as in the details of the constructionthereof,

without departing from the scope of this in-v vention, and therefore itis intended that all matter contained inthe above description or shownin the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative andnot in a limiting sense.

I claim 1. In a coin counting machine having a centrifugal tableoperative to arrange coins in a train for successive delivery tocounting mechanism, a hopper to contain a quantity of coins to becounted, a transversely open pocketed conveyer wheel rotatable in avertical plane with the rear side thereof contiguous to the hopperinterior so as to receive coins therefrom, means to partially cover saidrear side of said conveyer wheel to limit the area of communicationbetween the pockets thereof and the hopper interior, a closing wallcontiguous to the forward side of said convey-er wheel, said wall havingan escape opening with which the pockets of the conveyer wheelsuccessively communicate, and a pivoted discharge chute movable from anup-turned inoperative position to a down-swung operative positionextending from said escape opening over said counting machine table.

2. In a coin counting machine having a centrifugal table operative toarrange coins in a train for successive delivery to counting mechanismand a power transmission means for actuating said table and countingmechanism, a hopper to contain a quantity of coins to be counted, atransversely open pocketed conveyer wheel rotatable in a vertical planewith the rear side thereof contiguous to said hopper interior so as toreceive coins therefrom, means to partially cover said rear side of saidconveyer wheel to limit the area of communication between the pocketsthereof and the hopper interior, a closing wall contiguous to theforward side of said conveyer wheel, said wall having an escape openingwith which the pockets of the conveyer wheel successively communicate,transmission means for rotating said conveyer wheel, means to connect atwill said wheel transmission means in driven relation I to said machinetransmission means, and a table.

In testimony that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereuntoset my hand this 18th day of June, 1930.

EDWARD P. DONNELLAN.

